Method of revivifying finely-divided fuller&#39;s earth, bone char, and the like



Nov. 27, 1923. v F. w. MANNING METHOD OF REVIVIFYING FINELY DIVIDEDFULLERS EARTH, BONE CHAR, AND THE LIKE Filed June 16, 1922 INVENTORPatented Nov. 27, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED W. MANNING, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO MANNING REFININGEQUIPMENT CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

METHOD OF REVIVIFYING FINELY-DIVIDED FULLERS EARTH, BONE CHAR, AND THELIKE.

Application filed June. 16, 1922. Serial No. 568,790.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED W. MANNING, a citizen of the United States,residin in Brooklyn, county of Kings, State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Methods of RevivifyingFinely-Divided Fullers Earth, Bone Char, and the like, of which thefollowing is a specification.

invention relates to a method of revivifj'ing, by burning or heattreatment, finely divided or powdered earth or clay, fullers earth, bonechar, bone black carbons, activated carbons, diatomaceous earth, askieselguhr, mineral and vegetable carbons, such as derived from coal,peat, lignite, etc., and from rice hulls, sawdust, etc, and any othersimilar or equivalent material, or a mixture of two or more of them,commonly used for effecting filtration, decolorization Or othertreatment of mineral or vegetable oils, fats, greases, waxes, sugarliquors or solutions, glucose and maltose syrups, and other solutions orliquids.

In accordance with my invention, the finely divided or powdered materialas fullers earth, bone char or the like which has become more or lessexhausted or spent as to one or more of its capacities, characteristicsor properties by action upon other material, as petroleum, petroleumproduct, sugar liquor or solution, or the like, is subjected to a jet orblast of hot gases containing products of combustion which transportsthe finely divided material and in so doing disperses or sprays it,simultaneously raising its temperature to desired degree to effect rapidrevivification, the material separating and settling from the gas,without su'bstantial dust loss.

Purifying agents of the character stated after a period of use becomecharged with matters taken up by adsorption or otherwise and theirpurifying action slackens or ceases; they are exhausted or spent. Thematters taken up are mainly organic in their nature and it is usual inthe art to effect revivification or regeneration by heating to char orburn out such matters. In the case of carbonaceous purifying agents likeboneblack it is of course desirable not to burn out the carbon of theagent itself in so doing and in the case of fullers earth and the likeIt is an object of the present invention to provide such an accuratecontrol. In the present method the materials to be treated are dispersedwithin and carried forward (usually upward) by a flaming jet ofcombustion ases. In so doing, each particle is surroun ed by a hotatmosphere and is, so to speak, individually treated; the time oftreatment is accurately controllable by control of the speed and volumeof the jet and the temperature is controllable by control of thecharacter of combustion. Presuming air and gas (or oil) to be used inthe exact proportions required for combustion, the temperature of theflame will depend on the speed of combustion; and this speed can beregulated, within limits, by an admixture of products of combustion.Using hot products of combustion a certain amount of heat is returnedand utilized in using this expedient.

My invention resides in the method and apparatus hereinafter describedand claimed.

For an understanding of my method and for an illustration of one of themany forms my apparatus may take, reference is to be had to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of apparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view, partly in plan, taken on the line22 of l ig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view, partly in plan, taken onthe line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown upon a base 32 a fountainfurnace comprising a preferably vertical chamber or shaft formed by thesteel shell 4 lined with any suitable refractory material 5.Communicating with the upper end of the furnace is the stack or flue 6,controlled by valve or damper 7, through which the gases are dischargedeither to atmosphere or to any suitable storage vessel.

Adjacent the bottom of the furnace there is disposed a burner structurefor mixing air or the like with combustible material, as gas, oil, orfinely divided or powdered fuel. In the example illustrated the burnerstructure comprises the mixing cone or nozzle member 38, of any suitablematerial, such as refractory material, having a bore or aperture 37 intowhich projects the nozzle or outlet end 22 of the ipe 22. The member 38is provided wit a plurality of passages 33 communicating with bore 37and downwardly extending passages 34 which coinmunicate with the arcuateor circumferentially incomplete annular passage 17, towhich is delivereda component, as air or gas, of the combustible mixture. For example, airis delivered through the pipe 19, controlled by the valve or damper 13,at any suitable pressure, as atmospheric pressure or higher, to the pipe20, controlled by the valve or damper 1.8, the pipe. 20 delivering theair to the passage 17 from which it passes to the bore 37. There may beemployed, if suitable or desirable, a compressor 14 for raising thepressure of the air or gas delivered by the pipe 19.

To pipe 31, controlled by valve or damper 30, is delivered anothercomponent of the combustible mixture, as combustible gas, oil, or finelydivided or powdered fuel, it being understood that the fuel orcombustible material may be delivered through the pipe 31 and that. thecombustion sustalning gas, as air, may be delivered through the pipe 19,or vice versa. lVhen air or gaseous or vaporous fuel is deliveredthrough the pipe 31, at any suitable pressure, as at atmosphericpressure or higher, its pressure maybe further raised by the compressor15, which then discharges it by the pipe 29, controlled by the valve 27,to the nozzle 36, from which it is discharged into the ipe 22 whichdischarges it at the nozzle. 22 into the combining nozzle or cone '38,where the components of the combustible mixture come into contact ormixture with each other and are discharged upwardly from the outlet ofthe nozzle 38 and undergo combustion within the furnace chamber.

The fullers earth, bone char or other ma terial F, in the form of smallgrains or granules, and advantageously in a finely divided stateor inthe state of owder, for example, such as will pass a sieve having 100 or200 meshes to the inch, is delivered by the spiral or other suitableconveyer 26 into the chute 24, in which is disposed the conical valve 23co-acting with a conical valve seat, both valve and seat havingapertures which come successively into register as the valve 23 isrotated by the gearing 25, which is in turn driven by the shaft of theconvs or 26. The material F is accordingly de ivered into the jetissuing from the nozzle 36, and is transported thereby and delivnacechamber and passage through the openings 35 in the member 38'. Thehopper 16 delivers to a conveyer of any suitable type, as a spiralconveyer 28, which removes the finished material toany suitabledestination or storage.

Communicating with the stack or flue 6 are the pipes or flues 9 or 10communicating, respectively, with' the pipes 19 and 31 and controlled,respectively, by the dampers, or valves 11 and 12.

The rate of delivery of fuel or air from the nozzle 36 is variable oradjustable by varying the pressure and quantity of the fuel or gasdelivered, the pressure and quantity depending upon the speed ofoperation of the compressor 15, if used, and the quantity and pressurebeing also controllable and adjustable by the valves or dampers 27 and30, or either of them. Similarly, the rate of delivery ofv air or fuelby the pipe 20 is variable, the quantity and pressure being variable byvarying the speed of the compressor 14, if used, and the quantity andpressure are also controllable by the valves or dampers 13 and 18, oreither of them. And the rate of delivery of material F is controllableby controlling the speed of rotation of the conveyer 26.

By using hot waste gases from the fur nace chamber or stack 6, or byusing waste heat from any other suitable source, the temperature of thefluid delivered by the nozzle 36 and by the pipe 20 may be increased, asby introducing, preferably advantageously between the compressor 15 andnozzle 36, and between compressor 14 and the discharge end of the pipe20, suitable heat exchange apparatus heated by such waste gas or otherheating medium.

The operation is as follows:

The rates of deliveryof material F, fuel and air are varied or adiustedto produce a mixture giving the desired type of combustion and form ajet or blast, which while burning or undergoing combustion transports,floats and disperses the particles of the material F, simultaneouslyraising them to the desired temperature to effect the desired changes.

i so low thatthe dust particles settle and be yond the per 16, fromwhich they are removed Iiy convelyer 28. The. heated material cumu atingin the hopper 16 serves to prethe heat the air or other gas delivered tothe passage 17 and thence to the bore 37 of the member 38.

There is substantially no dust loss, the gas velocity in the upper partofthe chamber is come'mixed with the larger or heavier particles,finding their way to the' hopper 16. As an aid in preventing dust loss,thecrom section of the furnace chamber above or bejet or flame is,ordinarily. made quite larg V The flaming jet in which the material F istransported and dispersed or sprayed may be caused to assume differentlengths by suitably adjusting the pressure or pressures of the gas orgases involved; thereby the length of time of heat treatment of the ma-'terial F. This time however in my method is relatively short. -And ismeasurable in seconds, rather than minutes or-hours.

' The gases contacting with the material F in the fountain or within thefurnace chamber may be of indifi'erent or neutral character, or ma be ofa characterto effect oxidation'or re uction, as may be suitable ordesirable, by suitably choosing the natureof the fuel or combustiblematerial and by suitably adjusting its proportion with respect to theamountof air or other combustron sustaining gas employed.

The temperature of the flame or jet or gases within the furnace chambermay also be controlled by suitably proportioning the fuel and air orother combustion sustaining g The rate of combustion and the temperatureof the jet or flame may also be varied, as by diminishing them, byintroducing a neutral, waste or diluting gas from the stack 6, or fromany other suitable source,

through the pipe 10 .to the pipe 31 the amount of such gas beingcontrollable by the valve or damper 112. Introduction ofsuch gas maybeutilized to cause a lengthening of the jetor flame and at the sametime reduce its temperature from what would otherwise be the case ifsuch gas were not introduced into the pipe 31 or into mixture with thefuel. The flame, as to its length and temperature, may be furthercontrolled by introducing a diluting, waste or neutral gas with the airor combustion sustaining gas, as by taking gas from the stack or flue 6,or from any other suitable source,

and delivering it through the pipe '9, in

quantity controllable by the valve or damper 11, and mixing it with theair, so caus ing a greater dilution of the oxygen supply than obtains inordinary ai-r.

And by balancing or adjusting the relative quantities of fuel, air anddilution gas,

downwardly inclined direction, or may be my invention actual combustionthe chemical characteristics of the flame or gases within the furnacechamber may be controlled to effect either a neutral atmospllzere, or anoxidizing or.'reducing atmosp ere.- Accordin 1y, by my method andapparatus, .the ve ocity, he1ght or' Ian h of the flame or jet, andtherefore the uration of treatment Of the material F", the flame orv gastemperature" within theyfurnace chamber, and itschemicalcharacteristics-are varLabIe and adjustable. Q I As indicated,it is advantageous that the jet or flame be projected vertically or substantially so. It should be understood, how so ever, that as to someaspects of my invention this is not soessenti-al, for the jet or flamemay in some cases; have an upwardly or substantially horizontal.

- It will further be understood that while my inventionrelates moreparticularly to the treatment of fullers earth other purifying agents ofsimilar nature such as bone char or other material which has become moreor less exhausted by use, may also be" treated by the present process,and in' accordance with a broader aspect of my invention, my inventionis utili'zable alsom treating raw or fresh fullers earth, etc., beforeuse upon oil, other solutions or liquids. y

The amount of actual combustion which is taking place in the flame jetused for transporting, heating and treating the material variesaccording to circumstances and may be comparatively little;- that is,the

bone char, sugar liquoror volume of hot products of combustion returnedto the zone of action by means of either conduit 10 and pump 15 orconduit 9, and pump 14 as the case may be, maybe relatively large. Insome embodiments of may be dispensed with and the material F may betransported and sprayed by a jet ofgas 1 which itself has suflicienttemperature for purposes of treatment for modification of the materialF, without combustion 'in' the presence of or in contact with thematerial The actual combustion may take place 15 somewhere else whereburning gases are used.- Or, the gas by which the material F istransported may itself have sufficient temperature, or heat may be aplied externally to the furnace chamber. Iii all cases, how- 1:0 ever, Ifind it useful to have hot products of combustion in the gaseous jetcarrying forward the material to be treated; whether these products ofcombustion be those originating in the jet itself by combustion there-125 in or be separately added. Usually products of combustion areseparately added.

It will further be understood that as to a broader aspect of myinvention, the ma terial F may be introduced into, the gas jet-120 tilno longer useful.

at any suitable point or activity of a other than'th'at indicated, itbeing-essential or desirable merely that the material be introduced intothe et ,for transport and dispersion or spraying thereby and tosimultaneously eifect the rise in temperature of or application ofheatto the material F, in n atmosphere of suitable chemical characteristic.

When fullers earth is employed in treatment ofoil, as vegetable or.edible oils, or petroleum or petroleum distillate or product, there isadsorbed on or by the earth particles or deposited thereon or in theirpores the color-imparting materials and other impurities, and theseimpurities by the treatment above described are burned ofi or oxidizedor otherwise modified or changed, whereby the treated or finishedfullers earth is more or less completely restored or revivified and isagain utilizable for decolorizing or purifying oil or other liquid. Andthis procedure may be repeated, alternately using and revivi'fying the'fullers earth, un-

But by my method of restoration or revivification the useful life givenquantity of fullers earth is very greatly enlarged, thereby effectinggreat saving and reducing the total uantity of new or fresh 'earthrequired.

fter restoration or .revlvification, there may be added to the earthfresh or rawearth, previously heat treated or not, in quantitysuficient. to make up for losses or in any suitable greater quantity asmay be,

suitable or desirable.

My method and apparatus) are particularly-suitable for the treatment offinely divided fullers earth, such, for example, as will pass a 100 or200 mesh screen either when raw or fresh, and particularly after useupon liquid, as oil, including vegetable and edible oils; and myinvention is partic-' ularly applicable to fullers earth used in finelydivided state in decolorization and purification of mineral oil, aspetroleum or petrole distillate or product, as described in myapplication Ser. No. 568,789, filed I June 16, 1922.

' or change to restore or increase life. For example, bone char in finegranu- I Thebone char and other materials and theirequivalents hereinreferred to are similarly treated'to efiect suitable modificationactivity and lar or finely divided state which has been used upon sugarliquors or solutions, or other liquids, to an extent or for a periodwhich would otherwise necessitate its discharge to a waste, may betreated as herein described to restore its utility and activities andrender it suitable for re-use. I

My method and apparatus are of part cular utility for treatingor-revivifying bone char or similar materlal, partlcular in finelydivided state, and when y when such as will pass a 100 or 200 meshscreen,

terials of the character,

particularly l II aeraeoa when utilized in connection with sugarandsimilar solutions or li ids, as described in my application Ser. 0.608,448, filed De cember 22, 1922. I

What I claim is;

1. The method oftre'atin purifying ma terials of the characterescribed,which' bomprises transporting and dispersing particles of the materialin a gaseous stream, containing products of combustion, andsimultaneously raising the temperature 'of' said articles.

2. he method-0f treatin purifying maescribed, which comprisestransporting and dispersing particles of the material in a gaseous jetcontaining products of combustion, simultane ously raising thetemperature of said particles, and settling the particles by gravity.

3. The method of treating purifying materials of the characterdescribed, which comprises transporting and dispersing particles of saidmaterial by a hot gaseous stream containing products of dombustion.

4. The method 0 treatingpurifying materials of the character described,which comprises transporting and dispersing particles of said materialby a stream of gaseous material undergoing combustion. a

I 5..The methodof treatin purifying ma-W R) terials of the characterescribed, .which comprises mixing a combustion-supporting gas with fuel,and transporting'and dispersing particles of said material by saidmixture while undergoing combustion.

6. The method of treating purifying materials of the characterdescribed, which comprises mixing a combustion-supporting with fuel,transporting and dispersing particles of'said .material by said mixturewhile undergoing combustion, and introducing products of said combustioninto said mixture.

7. The methodof treating purifying materials of the -charac-terdescribed, which comprises transporting and dispersing par ticles of thematerial in an upwardly directed gaseous jet containing products ofcombustion, simultaneously raising the temperature of said particles,and settling the particles by gravity. I v

8; The method of treating purifying materials of the characterdescribed, which comprises transporting and dispersin particles of thematerial in: a substantial y vertical gaseous jet containing products ofcombustion, simultaneously raising the temperature of said particles andsettling the particles by gravity. I

9. The method of revivifying used fullers earth, which comprisestransporting and dispersing particles of said earth in a gaseous streamcontaining products of combos tion, and simultaneously raising thetemperature of said particles.

10. The method of revivifying used fullers earth, which comprisestransporting and dispersing particles of said eant'h'in a gaseous jetundergoing combustion, and settling the particles by gravity.

11. The method 1 of revivifying used purifying materials of thecharacter described and consisting largely of particles capable ofpassing a 100 mesh screen, which comprises transporting and dispersingthe particles of said material in a gaseous stream, and simultaneouslyraising the temperature of said particles.

12. The method of revivifying used purifying materials of the characterdescribed and consisting largely of particles capable of passing a 100mesh screen, which comprises transporting and dispersing particles ofsaid material in a jet of gaseous material undergoing combustion, andsettling the particles of said material by gravity.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature this 15th dayof June, 1922.

FRED W. MANNING.

